Transcript Adolescence

Adolescence:
Identity, Depression, Rebellion
Psychosocial Dev. – Ch. 16
Feb, 11-13, 2009
Classes #13-14
Who am I?

The Self and Identity
 Consistent definition of one’s self as a unique
individual in terms of roles, attitudes, beliefs. and
aspirations
Multiple Selves
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Possible selves
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various ideas of who one might be or become, each of
which is typically acted out and considered as a
possible identity
False self

set of behaviors that is adopted by a person to
combat rejection, please others, or try out as a
possible self
Three Types of False Selves
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Acceptable false self
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Pleasing false self
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Adopted to be accepted; arises from feelings of
worthlessness, depression; low self-understanding
Arises from wish to impress or please others; medium selfunderstanding
Experimental false self

Adolescent tries out a self to see how it feels; high selfunderstanding
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Adolescents come to see themselves as
unique and integrated persons with an
ideology
 Or they become confused about what they
want out of life

Identity Status

Identity Foreclosure

adopts values and goals of parents and culture without
questioning
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Identity Diffusion
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closes out process before it begins
has few commitments to goals or values, and apathetic about
taking on any role
Identity Moratorium

experiments with alternative identities in order to try them out;
not ready to make commitment to particular future goal
Status Versus Process

Developmentalists asked a series of questions
to measure identity status
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can a person achieve identity in one domain but still
be searching in another domain?
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answer: yes
is identity formed from within or from without?

answer: both
Gender Identity

Identification of self as either male or female
with acceptance of all roles and behaviors that
society assigns to that sex

adolescents make a multitude of decisions about
sexual behavior and select from many gender roles
Ethnic Identity
Gender identity is often connected to ethnic
identity
 Ethnic Identity

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often questioning of ethnic identity and dominant
American identity
As teens grow older, the need to be proud of
general heritage grows greater
Sadness and Anger

Adolescents can feel despondent and
depressed, overwhelmed by the world and
their own inadequacies, as well as on top of
the world, destined for great accomplishment
Sadness and Anger

Emotional problems are categorized in two
ways

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internalizing problems: problems are manifested
inward to inflict harm on self
externalizing problems: problems are “acted out” by
injuring others, destroying property, or defying
authority
The Usual Dip

General trend in mood is more downward than upward
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In U.S., both boys and girls feel less and less confident in
math, language arts, and sports
self-esteem drops at around age 12
adolescents without support from family, friends, or school
more vulnerable to self-esteem dip

loss of self-esteem may push toward depression
Depression


Rate of clinical depression
more than doubles in puberty
(15%)
Gender difference:

teenage girls (20%)

teenage boys (10%)

hormonal changes may explain
this, coupled with psychic
stress of school, friends,
sexual drives, and identity
crises
Adolescent Suicide

Suicidal Ideation

thinking about suicide is common among adolescents
Adolescent Suicide

Five reasons for erroneous belief that suicide is more of an
adolescent problem than other age groups
 rate is triple the rate of 40 years ago
 adolescents lumped together with young adults as one
statistical category
 adolescent suicide is shocking and grabs attention
 social prejudice considers teenagers as problems
 suicide attempts are more common in adolescence
Parasuicide
The deliberate act of self-destruction that
does not end in death
 Parasuicide and suicide depend on five factors
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availability of lethal means, especially guns
lack of parental supervision
alcohol and other drugs
gender
cultural attitudes
Adolescent Rebellion

Many psychologists believe that rebellion for
adolescent boys may be normal
Breaking the Law
Breaking the law is the most dramatic example
of rebellion
 Worldwide, arrests rise rapidly at about age
12 and peak at about age 16


44% of all U.S. arrests for serious crimes involve
persons aged 10 to 20
Breaking the Law

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Adolescent males are 3 times more likely to be
arrested than females
African-Americans are 3 times more likely to be
arrested than are European-Americans, who are 3
times more likely as Asian-Americans to be
arrested
Family and Friends
Family and peer support helps adolescents
through good and bad times
 Support provides

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sustenance
provisions
directions
ballast for stability
safe harbor or anchor
Parents
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Generation gap—distance between generations
in values, behaviors, and knowledge—and
understanding

adolescents often loosen ties to family

adolescents need to become psychologically separate
Generational stake—each generation needs to
see family from its own perspective
Parent-Adolescent Conflict
Typically, emerges in early adolescence,
especially with daughters
 Bickering—petty, peevish arguing, ongoing and
repeated
 Adolescents believe they should have privileges
of adult status
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Parent-Adolescent Conflict

Timing of problems is cultural

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in general, for teens, bickering peaks in early to
middle adolescence
For Chinese-, Korean-, and Mexican-American teens,
parental conflict surfaces in late adolescence
Other Family Characteristics
Communication
 Support
 Connectiveness
 Control

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parental monitoring
Peers

They’re more crucial in early teens

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self-help group
help “bridge the gap between childhood and
adulthood”
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help to define who they are not (identity formation)
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Can encourage socially desirable behaviors.
Peer Pressure Unmasked
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Pressure to conform is strong—up to age 14
Peers help to bridge gap between childhood and
adulthood
Peer pressure can be especially negative in times of
uncertainty, but is not usually a corrupting influence on
good adolescents
Most peer-induced misbehavior is short-lived
Peer Group for Immigrants
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Bicultural Conflict

caught between strict family traditions and
generational push for autonomy
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May give in to parental control (girls)
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May join a delinquent group (boys)
Romantic Attraction

Sequence of Heterosexual Attraction

friendships of one sex or the other

loose association of girls’ group and boys’ group

smaller mixed-sex group formed from larger group
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true intimacy; peeling off from group into couples,
with private intimacies
Homosexual Youth
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Complications of this life style usually slow down
romantic attachments
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many reluctant to admit homosexuality
may mask feelings
depression and suicide higher for these youth
Final Words…
No other period is full of such multifactoral
and compelling biological changes
 Fascinating and confusing social and
intellectual transitions
 Most adolescents and their families survive
fairly well
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Final Words…
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Most have some difficulties and some may have several
 many problems stem from earlier development
 even considering that, adolescents are open to new
patterns, goals, and lifestyles
 plasticity
 young people can find a path that leads to adulthood
and its challenges